Day One

I will try to recount the events of the day. However, fortunately for us they are relatively uneventful.  We started out the day not knowing if it was going to be "the day" or not.  Kristen was brought to Dartmouth by ambulance the day before and we fully expected that when she got here they were going to do the c-section right away but the doctors decided to wait so they could monitor her for awhile.  Her blood pressure had gone back down so they didn't feel they had a compelling reason to take the babies yet.  She was having regular contractions that were fairly painful but was not going into labor.  It was a rough night for her, and she was ready to be done.  Everything was uncomfortable and sometimes painful.  The anesthesiologist came to talk to her about the options and possible side effects for the c-section but she was not up for paying attention to anything he said.

When we woke up Wednesday morning the first positive sign we had was that they assigned three nurses to Kristen for the day.  We were told that usually means they are planning on doing a c-section.  They also told us that the doctors would be meeting at 9:00 to decide what to do.  Once again Kristen was not allowed to eat or drink anything in case they decided to do the c-section.  At about 9:30 the doctor came in and gave us the good news that they decided to go ahead with the c-section.  They decided that some of the tests showed that her health was beginning to decline and at 35 weeks and 6 days it was a good time to do it before things got bad.  They immediately started prepping her for surgery and in less then an hour she was in the operating room.

I was able to be in there with her, and I counted 20 nurses and doctors in the room.  They were ready for anything.  After about 15 to 20 minutes of cutting and separating we heard "I see an arm and a leg"!  At 10:53 they pulled out Kathryn first.  Tyler came out next and then Seth came out at 10:54.  They took each baby over to separate stations and two or three people began checking each of them over.  Kathryn looked great fairly quickly.  It took Tyler a little while to get some good color.  He had some fluid in his lungs so they gave him oxygen.  I was a little worried but the doctors were not that concerned so that was reassuring.

While they were measuring and weighing the babies the surgical team was finishing up with Kristen.  Once that was done they put all three babies in Kristen's lap and wheeled her back to the room.  They all looked beautiful!  After all this time we could not have asked for a better delivery.  God had definitely answered many prayers!

The rest of the day was spent attending to the babies and checking their vital signs.  They were in the room with us and were all doing fine with no assistance.  They were doing much better then Kristen at this point.  She had been through a lot.  It took until about midnight before she started feeling somewhat normal.  She couldn't even keep one sip of water down.

Ben was able to come for a visit, and he was very excited to meet all 3 of his new siblings!  He even got to feed Seth a bottle.  He will be a fantastic big brother!  Ben also helped take care of mommy....getting her cold washcloths for her face, etc.  Oma made it up from PA to meet her 3 new grandchildren!  After spending a few hours with us, she took Ben home for the night.


Tyler spent his first night in the NICU as a precaution.  He was having difficulty keeping his body temperature up so they wanted to keep him warm and make sure he did not have any infections.  After keeping him overnight they decided he was fine and was brought back to the room with us.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I know everyone wants all the details so I will get them out as soon as I can.  For now here are the basics.  Everyone is doing well.  The babies are all healthy and doing great.

Kathryn Ella- 4lbs 10ounces born at 10:53 am
Tyler Mark- 4lbs 14ounces born at 10:54 am
Seth Jonathan- 4lbs 5ounces born at 10:54 am

Update Wednesday April 20th

We completely expected to have three babies by now but so far we are still waiting.  The doctors are meeting at 9:00 this morning to try to come to a decision by 10:00.  So once again Kristen will have to wait before she knows if she will be allowed to eat.  Hopefully they will make the decision quickly!  We are anxious to meet these babies however we trust the doctors and want the best for the babies as well.  Pray for wisdom for the doctors and strength for Kristen whatever is decided.

Just Waiting

Kristen went to the doctor today for a regular appointment.  Everything went fine with the appointment until they checked her blood pressure.  It was a little high so they sent her up to the maternity ward and after consulting with the doctors, they decided to send her to Dartmouth to have a c-section.  Once she got to Dartmouth her blood pressure had dropped so then it was back to a waiting game.  At this moment she is very uncomfortable and having some painful contractions.  It will all be in God's timing.

This is what it looks like to monitor four heartbeats and contractions all at the same time!

35 1/2 Weeks

It's hard to believe we've come this far!  I just said to Mark, "Just think....this time in 2 weeks we'll have 3 babies here with us!"  Life will be different for sure, but we're looking forward to it.  I'm ready to hold these babies OUTSIDE of the womb!  I think this incredible amount of discomfort is God's way of getting you ready for delivery.  Otherwise, I think I'd be freaking out about them coming. However, at this point I say bring on the craziness!  I can't wait to walk normally again!  The swelling in my feet and ankles has gotten much worse.  It had gone down when I was put on bed rest at 31 weeks, but then it came back at 34 weeks.  At least it's warm enough now so I can wear flip flops...not that i go anywhere besides the hospital.  Mark has finished the dresser/changing table and the closet has shelves so now we can get all of the clothes, diapers, sheets, etc.  put in place.  Feeling even more ready!

Big Brother Ben

Ben (6 yrs old now) had been praying just about every day for 2 babies and a dog for about two years!!!! He would even correct me if I just prayed for one.  :-)  This was a good lesson for him to learn about praying without ceasing.  We were thrilled to be able to tell him that he was going to be a big brother!  We gave him this shirt as our way of telling him the news and he wore it proudly.  We were actually considering getting him a puppy for Christmas....until we found out there were THREE!  We told him he was getting an extra baby instead of a dog.  God gave us even more than we asked for!

Ben has been a real trooper during this long stretch of bed rest.
We play lots of games together, and he even made up a couple of games to play where I don't have to get up off of the couch.  In this picture is his new game called "Dinosaur Race".  He drew the game board and everything.  You just roll the dice and move the dinosaurs accordingly...very cute!  His other game is called "Who's Missing".  It's a simple version of Hide and Seek where I don't have to get up.  I just call out and ask him if he's in certain places.  He doesn't answer until I guess correctly.  I think I like it better than the real version. :-)                               

Getting Close

A date has been set!  I have a c-section scheduled in Keene for Friday April 29th so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  :-)  I asked the doctor if he could just take them out yesterday at my appt. but he didn't think that was the best idea....it was worth a try.  My body is definitely exhausted and I'm feeling ready to be done, but I know that God's timing is perfect.  Everything still looked great at the appointment.  Babies were all active and no changes with me.  By the way, I still weigh less than Mark!  My friend Maureen took me to my appt. because I probably shouldn't be driving myself at this point.  Then we went out to lunch.  So, I kind of cheated on my bed rest for once, but it was so nice to be out...even though I get funny looks everywhere I go. :-)